Burning
by load my soul
Summary: Tyler x Leslie.:: “And to think, all this trouble because of a stupid flu shot.”


Hello all! I'm back with a Tyler x Leslie. Hope you all enjoy it! :D

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"Fire…" It lapped and nipped at his bare skin playfully as he stood within a ring of fire. He didn't understand where he was, or why he was here. Or why burning didn't hurt as bad as he thought it would. He stared downward at his body in complete disbelief, "I'm… I'm on fire." It hardly hurt at all… well, maybe that was a lie. "…Am I in hell?" he surveyed his surroundings, "I mean, I know that I've done things I'm really not proud of… but **hell**? And I don't even know how I died…" He looked around, squinting to see where he was.

"Wait a minute… I'm not dead…!" Then the shock hit him. "I'm not in hell either…" The plush carpeting, the floral wallpaper, the wall to wall bookcases, and the worn-out black couch… this was his parents' living room. "Gah, **shit**!" This was his parents' house. This meant his family could possibly still be in here!!

"Mom? Dad? Amy…?!" He choked on pillowy clouds of gray smoke as he ran through the flames, looking, looking… hoping to find her in time. "Amy, where are you?!" His head was beginning to pound from the heat. "Amy…?!" He barely made it up the stairs, strange pains were starting to rush through his body at every movement. His body was getting heavier and his knees buckled under his own weight. He crawled down the hallway, looking in all of the second floor rooms for his mom, dad, and little sister. He collapsed to the floor in a writhing heap, finally succumbing to the smoke and heat.

"Thank god…" he muttered quietly from the floor. He could feel the flames closing in around him. The house was empty. His family was gone… but a strange, warbled voice called his name… and it grew louder. He closed his eyes, trying to shield his eyes from the flames dancing around his weak body. His final thoughts being thoughts of an unlikely rescue. The voice boomed in his ears… and the room suddenly became cold. He was, how could he describe it?

Suddenly comfortable. '_Relaxed_.'

"How is he doing, Leslie?" The brunette peeked into room two-oh-eight with a look of slight dismay. The nurse placed an ice pack upon the blonde's brow, hoping to cool him down. She picked it up as he turned his head to the side, moaning quietly as he did so, "Did Chase wake up yet?" Brown eyes fell upon Tyler, who was weakly flailing around, then the gaze shifted to the teal haired nurse, who seemed to be barely dodging his limbs.

"Not yet, Derek… we have to get his fever down though." The limp blonde wheezed, letting a few stray coughs pass his lips. Leslie was surprised that he hadn't woken himself up yet, but then again… Tyler was a heavy sleeper. "We gave him some medication a while ago, it's almost time to give him the second dose."

"Did the results of the chest x-ray come back?" Derek queried, as he crossed through the doorway to sit next to the nurse. "It sounds like pneumonia to me. I've had it once before… I can hear it in the cough and the wheeze." Leslie nodded.

"Yeah, you're right on the money," she replied, brushing the sweat from Tyler's ruddy face. He settled as she stroked his cheek lightly and, against her better judgment, placed a kiss upon his forehead. "Feel better soon," His skin was moist, hot and sickly pale… but almost fiery red from the fever. "Okay, Tyler?"

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The darkness soon faded and he could hear quiet talking. His eyes cracked open, letting in a blinding light. With a small, cracking voice, he croaked,

"Leslie?" His mouth was moving, but words had refused to spring forth from his vocal chords. His face turned slightly green. The nurse had learned to be quick on her feet. She quickly grabbed a trashcan and watched as he sprung up with a new found energy… and vomit came spilling into the trashcan. Her delicate hands gathered his hair and held it out of his face. His mane was slightly disheveled and a bit moist, but he wasn't really in any condition to get out of bed and wash up. "I want to take a bath…"

"I'll go run you a bath," she commented, watching him fall back upon the uncomfortable looking bed. "I'll be right back, okay?" He watched her go silently, then closed his eyes.

"Hey Tyler. How are you feeling?" He let his eyes ease open again, finally noticing Derek, who had moved his seat closer to the bed.

"Not bad… I guess. I think, uh… I don't know," he whispered, covering his eyes in his elbow. Derek couldn't really hear him all that well, but figured he shouldn't strain himself by trying to talk.

"You should feel better in a week or so. Ah, here comes Leslie for you. Can you get up?" Tyler clumsily swung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed himself to his feet, faltering when the dizziness hit him. He groaned and stumbled into Derek's grasp. "Easy now, Chase." Tyler steadied himself, and began to walk sleepily toward Leslie. Leslie took Tyler's arm and put it around her, trying to keep the blonde steady. "Do you need help with him, Les? I can take him if you need me to." Leslie shook her head and smiled.

"Why don't you go find Angie? It's your lunch break, isn't it? Don't waste it with us," she smiled. "I'll take care of Tyler." By the time Leslie and Tyler made it down the hallways, the poor nurse was almost dragging him to the tub in the room down the hall. "Hey, Ty… you okay?" He attempted to give a low grunt, but decided against it since his throat was already sore and raw. He merely nodded, his head barely moving as she sat him down in a chair near the tub. "I'm sorry, but… I'm going to have to… uhm, I'm going to have to strip you, Tyler. I know…! I'll be right back!" She scurried out of the room and down the hallway. Tyler's head lulled downward, but he quickly held it back up again. The movement had made his head pound.

But his head pounded regardless of what position he was in. His whole body ached terribly, especially his chest and throat, which hurt from coughing. He felt weak, but Leslie was always at the ready. Even right now.

"Tyler!" Before he knew it, he was in her arms. He'd lurched forward and nearly fell to the floor. "Oh, you okay?" He cringed, feeling his head pound a little harder. "Ugh… you're burning up. Let's get you into that bath. I brought you a new pair of dark underwear. Uhm, if you're more comfortable… and if you're strong enough, you can put those on and get into the bath." He nodded silently, sluggishly moving out of her arms, into a standing position. She helped him unbutton his shirt and kept him steady while he removed his pants. She turned around, letting him keep himself steady by holding on her shoulder. He changed into his clean boxers and she helped him into the tub. His eyes widened as the cold water washed over him. He shivered quietly and draped himself over the side of the tub.

"Dude, s'_cold_," he muttered, feeling Leslie's eyes beat down on him silently.

"I know, I'm sorry. It's a little cold because your fever is pretty high." He nodded. She was watching him closely. "Let's get you washed up, okay?" She squirted some of the shampoo she'd gotten from Derek into her hands. Her gentle hands rubbed it into his scalp, making sure not to jostle his head too much while she did so. He moaned silently and kept shivering. "Remember, you can let me know if I'm hurting you at all." Her voice was gentle and soothing and it made him feel a little less strange about sitting in a tub full of cool water in his boxers. She was so calming… She reached over, grabbed the shower head and ran the water on it's gentlest setting. She rinsed out his long, straggly locks and started giving him a quick rub down with a wash cloth.

She drained the water from the tub, only to realize that he'd fallen asleep. She felt bad about having to wake him up, but she didn't exactly have a choice in the matter; she couldn't really pick him up.

"Ty? Hey, Ty?" she asked quietly, watching him sleep fitfully.

"Leslie," he sighed quietly, "_Stoooop_." He began to mumble to himself. The delirium was talking, Leslie concluded.

"Ty, Ty… C'mon, you gotta get out of the tub," Leslie shook him a little more, and watched him open his eyes. He held on to the edge of the tub and stood woozily. She handed him a bathrobe and helped him into it. After tying the belt for him, he began to climb out of the tub slowly, grabbing on to her shoulders for support.

Just because he had support, didn't stop him from slipping. The two toppled to the floor, landing awkwardly on the floor together. A loud groan escaped Tyler's lips, and he grabbed his head, trying to stop the pain.

"Oh no! Are you okay, Tyler?" A smile weaseled its way onto his lips.

"I'm sorry about this," he whispered gruffly. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to get sick."

"I know it wasn't, I know you weren't." She ran her hand through his hair. "C'mon Ty, let's get back to your room." He bit his lip and his world shifted once more as he shakily got to his feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah. And to think, all this trouble because of a stupid flu shot." Leslie sympathized. It seemed like every year he was vaccinated for the flu, he caught a cold. And of course, this was the year his cold kept getting worse. A day ago, Leslie got a phone call from Tyler's cell phone. When she answered the phone, she expected to hear what was left of Tyler's voice. Instead, she heard Amy's voice. A half an hour later, they had a delirious Tyler Chase, asleep in a bed at Caduceus. (The place really knew how to take care of their own.)

At least now, he could keep his medicine down.

Tyler collapsed into his bed. He could tell the sheets were new. They were cool and dry. They smelled like detergent. He didn't have much time to relax as Leslie handed him his new pajamas. A simple t-shirt and a new pair of boxers. After throwing the bathrobe into hamper, she sat next to him on his bed. He laid down, resting his head in her lap. Just like a mother would to a child, she ran her fingers through his damp hair. They stayed like that for a long while. The room was silent; she thought he was asleep.

"Ty…?" she questioned quietly. A bluish tinted eye cracked open. He cracked a weak smile, and in a quiet voice, mumbled,

"I love you, Les…" Leslie's eyes widened in surprise, but she smiled. Before she could respond, he nodded off.

"I love you too, Ty." She kissed him once again. "Feel better."

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Thanks for reading!! See you all again soon, hopefully. (If the plot gods decide to give me their blessing... xD )


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